On this day cat loving Freddie Mercury died 28 years ago

For a website about cats this is a day to remember one of the world’s best known cat lovers, Freddie Mercury, who died aged 45 from complications of AIDS on 24 November 1991. He died at his home in Kensington, London which was packed full of antiques according to the man who continues to write a blog on Freddie’s website, Peter ‘Phoebe’ Freestone.

Oscar with Freddie Mercury spring 1991
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Oscar with Freddie Mercury spring 1991

Freestone was Freddie’s ‘chief cook and bottle washer, waiter, butler, secretary, cleaner and agony aunt…’

“I suppose Freddie’s overriding passion was for his cats…” – Freestone

Freddie liked to go shopping for antiques and consequently his home was like a museum. Ironically many of his fans have asked if the home will become a museum.

Freddie’s love of domestic cats is as legendary as himself but, strangely, I could not find any quotes from him on cats to provide an insight into why he was such an ailurophile. Nor is there even a single mention of cats on Wikipedia’s biography of the man. I’ll have to amend that.

However, in his latest blog article (number 96) Freestone briefly mentions cats. The quote above is a good one.

The next one is good too as it gives me that insight I was looking for…

“He loved the way they [cats] were independent…..He felt that they were an extension of himself; basically living life as he wanted…”

Freddie Mercury and cats

Freddie Mercury and cats

Freddie was very independent-minded. He lived life on his terms. He was never boring. He lived a bit on the edge. But it is the idea of cats living the way they want to live and being cared for but not owned by humans that appealed to Freddie.

Freddie did not want to be a rock star. He wanted to be a legend. He had two passions: cats and shopping!

He was prepared for his death and not depressed about it. He worked during the last days of his life. According to Elton John, with whom he was very friendly, he looked terrible in his last days but was still buying things at auction.

‘He wasn’t thinking about dying at all. He showed no fear to me about dying, no fear or sadness. When you went there you had an audience with Freddie.’ – Freestone.

Freddie left his house to his friend Mary Austin who has kept it exactly as it was when he died. His five cats were looked after for a while by Mary Austin after his death. Apparently she gave them to Jim Hutton, Freddie’s long term partner. Oscar the cat you see in the photo at the top of the page escaped I am told. Not sure what that means exactly. Perhaps he found a home nearby. That’s slightly sad.

It is important to think about Freddie Mercury because through his love of cats he did a lot to raise the profile of this much loved companion animal. That helps their welfare to this day, 28 years after his death.

SOME MORE ARTICLES ABOUT THE MAN:

Delilah on Freddie Mercury's waistcoat

Freddie Mercury’s silk waistcoat featuring portraits of Freddie Mercury’s six cats sold for £139,700

You may have heard about Sotheby's recent auction of Freddie Mercury's personal possessions. Well, they sold for very close to ...
Last known photo of Freddie Mercury was with his cat Oscar (updated 2022)

Last known photo of Freddie Mercury was with his cat Oscar (updated 2022)

Freddie Mercury with Oscar in one of the final pictures of him This is the story of one of the ...
Delilah - Freddie Mercury's favorite cat (probably)

Freddie Mercury’s favorite cat DELILAH

Here is a full treatise on Delilah, Freddie Mercury's best known cat. We know that Freddie Mercury loved cats. It ...
Freddie Mercury with one of his cats: Tiffany

Freddie Mercury: his ten cats and Bohemian Rhapsody the film

Bohemian Rhapsody, the film, is doing great at the box office. Some critics say that the script sucks and is ...
Freddie Mercury with cats on bed

Freddie Mercury: “I’ll sleep with anything – man, woman or cat”

Freddie Mercury loved cats so the words he used are literal. For men and women it probably meant sex. For ...
Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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